This is something I’ve been pondering for a while now and man has it got me excited! What happens when you get a photographer who retouches his own images vs a retoucher who does it for high end clients as a living? Let’s find out the results!

It’s no secret that the photography market is no longer the exclusive realm of professionals. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re the client, but with so many “professional” photographers out there these days it’s not hard finding a dud.

Be it your next door neighbor who just bought a DSLR, his grandchild who believes his 16 megapixel smartphone camera is just as good as the D4s or your sister-in-law’s cousin who has been photographing weddings as a side gig when he isn’t working at the corner deli, anyone of them has a reasonable chance of getting hired for a low-budget project where the client is mainly concerned about price.

Some moments, however, are too precious to risk with an amateur and that’s exactly the message the video below brings home.

We are our own worst critics. This much we know. The problem is, photography is one of those things where we have to be self critics to get better. Finding that delicate balance between beating ourselves up and being too easy on ourselves is a problem we have all struggled with in one way or another. But, as Mike Browne explains in the video below, we’re probably making it more difficult than it needs to be. Listen as the award winning photographer and educator dishes out his synopsis on why hating the photos you take is preventing you from getting better and what you can you do to fix it. [Read more…]

After picking up a camera for the first time in 2009, Peter Stewart wasted no time in assembling an impressive portfolio of images. Inspired by his travels and an urge to document them, Stewart quickly took to photography. In his series of photos, aptly titled “Stacked”, Stewart takes viewers on a captivating journey through public housing in Hong Kong–a city bursting at the seams with people.

Not your typical travel shots, Stewart’s eye focuses on symmetry and geometry topped off with a healthy dose of color theory. Primarily, Stewart shoots on digital, but says he has been experimenting with film and taking an interest in street photography, the latter of which is reflected in some of the images from Stacked. [Read more…]

The NBA announced in an official press release that it plans to cut the number of credentialed photographers allowed to photograph each game. The announcement comes after several years of talks and meetings regarding the high incident rate of injuries caused to players and photographers after accidental collisions on the court. Some of you may recall Paul George breaking his left leg during a game earlier this month ago seemed to be like enough to push the latest rule changes along a little quicker. (There is a video of the incident, but be warned, it’s not for those with weak stomachs).

The leagues president of operations, Rod Thorn, said of the new changes:

Sometimes the phone rings and someone asks you to go photograph a floor. Sometimes they will even agree to pay you a pretty decent chunk of change to go do it.

No models, no makeup, no wardrobe, no lighting – just a floor.

My first reaction is usually something like “I’m not a floor photographer.”

But then I remember that people who own big buildings with floors often have money, and I figure income is better than no income, so I agree to go photograph a floor.

Which brings me to the question: Why would anyone go out of their way to find a floor photographer and pay them a healthy sum of money to go out and take what I consider to be natural light snapshots of a floor?

The answer is that as photographers, we have developed some considerable talents that many of us take for granted on a regular basis.[Read more…]

I’m not entirely sure, but it is quite possible that I witnessed a sign of the rapidly approaching Apocalypse this morning. There was no plague of locusts descending from the heavens. No fire. No brimstone. The earth continued rotating on its axis just fine. I’m sure nobody else even noticed. Regardless of its subtlety, it still came at me out of nowhere like a brick to the side of the head.

Thus began the conversation– and the engagement session. I’d met the bride and her mother (really awesome people, by the way) when they hired me, but this was my first encounter with The Groom. At first I figured he was just trying to break the ice. I’m still not sure if that assessment was right or wrong, but in either case it was quite possibly the longest two hours of my career as a photographer. Yes– a professional photographer, damn it.

There has been a lot of talk recently about what the difference is between amateur and professional photographers.

Comments by industry big shots, such as Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer who proclaim that there “is no such thing really as professional photographers” (well maybe not pro cat/flower/sunset photographers posting to Flickr anyway).

Or, when venerable institutions such as the Chicago Sun Times decide to lay off their entire photography staff – you do start to wonder – what exactly is the difference between amateur and professional photographers?

John Aldred is a portrait and animal photographer in Lancaster, England. you can see some of his work on his website, or find him on Facebook or Twitter.

Stefan Kohler is a conceptual photographer, specialized in mixing science, technology and photography. He is one of the founders of Kamerakind, based in Traunstein, Southern Germany. You can follow him on Facebook or on 500px.com

Liron Samuels is a wildlife and commercial photographer based in Israel.

When he isn't waking up at 4am to take photos of nature, he stays awake until 4am taking photos of the night skies or time lapses.